The Master's Novice
by Crimson Firebreeze
Summary: A one shot about Altair annoying Malik, through the eyes of an apprentice assassin. Part of a series later. Rated M for innuendo and violence. MalikxOC implied AltairxOC and KadarxOC


_Woah this came out of left field didn't it? It's not on my list of projects! One of my friends got me hooked on Assassin's Creed again. So I borrowed her boyfriend's Xbox and his copy of AC and finally played it. I need an intervention. _

_Anyways, this was actually written to go along with a fanfic my friend is writing. Alice is her OC and I permission to play. Sibylla is my character that I made specifically for her fanfic. _

_For those of you who totally get the Kindom of Heaven reference, give yourself a cookie!_

_Also, this does take place during the timeline of the game. It is during the first assassination mission in Jerusalem, so Altair is still mostly stripped of rank. The leap of faith incident is refering to when they were gathering information._

* * *

A lone figure watched the sun set on the horizon of the Holy Land, perched on the roof of the hospital of Jerusalem. The white robe stirred gently in the breeze as the figure crouched, eyes falling to the street below. A pile of hay lay below and the assassin grimaced at the sight of it, a slender hand moving absentmindedly to rose-colored lips. The assassin let a long sigh flow from deep within, frustrated with the memories that came flooding back.

"Where is Altair," came a decidedly feminine voice. It was Alice, one of the few female assassins and close friend of the one who was already perched here. It was odd for her to be away from their teacher, Malik. "Sibylla?"

Sibylla pulled her eyes away from the horizon and looked up at Alice, her closest friend. The girl was beautiful in her English heritage, with blue eyes and a sprinkling of freckles over her nose. She reminded Sibylla of a doll that she sometimes saw shipped from the orient with her pale skin and raven hair. She sometimes envied Alice's beauty though she knew she was an exceptional beauty herself.

"I thought for sure he would not leave your side," Alice continued when Sibylla said nothing. "He follows you around like a half starved dog… I find it surprising that he would leave you here."

"And I could ask you the same about Malik," Sibylla growled more harshly than she really meant to. She knew she had no right. She was angry with Altair, not Alice.

"Malik sent me to find you," her friend said quietly. Sibylla mentally kicked herself. Her words had stung her friend needlessly.

Sibylla stood from her crouching position, her own blue eyes sweeping over the roof tops for any sign of the master assassin that she was supposed to be following and learning from before meeting those of her friend. Alice was regarding her cautiously and Sibylla suddenly realized that she was far too tense for her own good. She relaxed slightly, her features softening.

"He wanted me to think on the lesson he taught me," she answered, gesturing to the ledge she had just been crouched by. It took a moment but the realization dawned on Alice's face and the girl smiled knowingly.

"You mean the Leap of Faith." It was not a question.

"Yes, if you could call it that."

The memory of it hit Sibylla harder than she wanted it to. He had been scolding her and she didn't like it one bit. She yelled back at him. Sure, he had been right and she had been wrong but her pride was hurt and she wasn't willing to let him win the argument. She didn't have a choice in the matter though, for before she could draw any more attention to them, he had grabbed her around the waist and pulled her tightly to his body before leaping off the roof. She had been too scared to even scream as they fell. She remained too startled to even speak after they had landed safely in the hay below. And if that hadn't been enough for the brute, he had _kissed_ her as she stared at him in disbelief.

Oddly enough, despite her anger with him, she couldn't deny that she didn't somewhat enjoy it. Some sadistic part of her had enjoyed the thrill of free-falling to what could have been their death. The kiss hadn't been so bad either, though she had decked him for the bruise to her pride. But what struck her hardest as she became enveloped in this memory were his scent and the strength of his arms around her. He had smelled of sweat, obviously, a light salty smell of flesh and tinge of the coppery smell of blood that would forever taint him from years of assassinations. Underlying all of that was his own, unique musk that had filled her and made her feel weak because of its sheer masculinity. She may have been training to be an assassin herself, but she was still a woman, subjective to the same carnal desires as any other female. And perhaps that was the real reason that she had hit him; because these feelings were unfamiliar to her. Not even Kadar had gotten such a reaction in her. She had wanted Altair in that moment and it scared her.

_"Kadar, forgive me..."_ she prayed.

"You are thinking about Kadar again, aren't you?"

Damn Alice for being so perceptive! But what did she expect? They had grown up together. No one knew her better than Alice, so of course she had picked up the thoughts of Kadar, Malik's now deceased younger brother. And Kadar was dead because of Altair; because he thought himself better than Malik. How could she be falling for someone so… so… proud! He was no better than a common thug! At least Kadar had loved her. But… so did Altair… didn't he? Either way, it was not a topic that she was willing to discuss with Alice, sister or no.

"I heard you and Malik last night," she said darkly, changing the subject. One glance told her everything. Alice kept a calm front, as they both were trained to do but the blush creeping up her neck and darkening her pale cheeks was evidence enough that she had not just been hearing things. Alice neither confirmed, nor denied the accusation. It stung that someone she considered a sister would be hiding something like that from her. She could not blame her though, for it was forbidden.

"I don't care, Alice," she said softly, glancing out at the horizon again. "If you love him-"

"But I can't! It's forbidden," Alice exclaimed. There was an edge of bitterness in her voice. "He can take me to bed all he likes, but he cannot love me!"

Sibylla regarded her friend in the dying light and sighed. Perhaps she had been the fortunate one. Neither Kadar nor Altair were Rafiqs, but Malik was. Her heart bled for Alice, for she had always known that her friend had loved him and knew she was so close to having him only to be stopped by their career. She put her arm around her friend and tried to smile.

"Let's get back to the bureau. No doubt Altair will probably forget about me anyways," she said with a chuckle.

Sibylla was too busy giggling and making Alice feel better about her predicament to notice the tension in the air of the Bureau, thick enough to cut with a knife. She spotted Altair eyeing her before Malik appeared. His stance said everything. She was in some serious trouble. Altair's smug smile gave away the reason.

"Why were you not with Altair," Malik demanded. She felt Alice leave her side and she realized that she was alone in this.

"Master, I-"

"SILENCE! You are to stay with Altair at ALL times. You are a NOVICE and you are NOT to be running around Jerusalem on your own! Do you understand me!?"

Sibylla was not one to talk back to Malik under any circumstances, as she was a novice and he was her teacher. But she was being scolded unfairly for something that was _Altair's_ fault. She tried to hold her tongue, as she did not wish to disrespect Malik, but she was finding it far too difficult to let this slide. Especially when she saw the way Altair's honey eyes were taking her in.

"Ask Altair why I was_ wandering_ around Jerusalem alone," she yelled. There was a tense moment when she thought for sure that Malik would strike her. She'd deserve it if he did and she knew it. Instead though, hand on his hip, he turned and looked at the other assassin, waiting for an answer.

"Yes, Altair," said Malik, "tell me how she came to be separated from you. You were rather vague about how that came to pass."

Malik's tone told her that Altair was not fooling him at all. They were both in trouble and Malik had simply waited until both were present to scold them. Altair's surprised expression was worth the trouble though. Altair's features quickly returned to that trained calm all assassins were taught to have, though Malik's body did not relax at any point. No one spoke. Sibylla met Alice's eyes and she knew the girl was itching to intervene on her behalf. Alice knew better than to get in the middle where Malik was concerned.

"Master," Sibylla began. "Altair left me on the roof of the hospital to meditate on a lesson he tried to teach me days ago. I was not _wandering_."

She watched Altair's eyes shift from Malik to her. Was she seriously getting him out of trouble!? She knew damn well that the only reason Altair had left her there was because he did not wish to be slowed down by an apprentice. She knew that her teacher knew this too, for it was the way Altair was. She had a feeling that Malik wasn't going to let the subject drop. He was too keen to point out any mistake Altair made, especially after what happened in Solomon's Temple. Malik would hold that grudge longer than she could ever hope to.

"Altair," Malik began, not hiding his exasperation for the two of them, "You were assigned to train Sibylla for a _reason._ You were careless with my brother, who was an apprentice under us both. I put Sibylla in your care to _teach_ you some form of responsibility! When you regain your rank, you _will_ have to take on an apprentice full time. I lend you one of mine, hoping that you would take the same care that I do with her, only to find out that you abandoned her in the middle of the city during a mission! _What_ were you _thinking_!? You have not changed at all, Altair!"

Sibylla didn't think it was possible to render the arrogant Altair speechless, but Malik had succeeded, for his brown eyes simply regarded the Rafiq in silent… was that respect? If she could have this power of Altair, how simple life would be, indeed! Her triumph was short lived as Malik turned his cold eyes back on her. Altair had gotten his scolding, now it was her turn.

"And you. You should have come back here straightaway when he left you. I should not have to send out others in the brotherhood looking for you! What if Alice had gotten hurt, huh? Did you ever stop to think of the consequences of your actions?"

"Master," Sibylla said carefully, "was it not you who told me to do as Altair bade me? He was teaching me to trust my Brothers, and so I believed it safe to do as instructed. I did not think for a minute that Altair would put me in direct danger, nor do I feel I was endangered at any time."

If Malik wasn't missing his other arm, she was sure that he would have crossed them over his chest as he regarded her pensively. Altair's eyes were still on her and she knew there would be words between them unless she could avoid it and avoid him. She kept her eyes trained on her teacher before her, catching the wild grin spreading across Alice's face from her peripheral vision. Alice had learned early on how to please Malik and keep his temper cool and mild. Sibylla, however, was always butting heads with her teacher as well, despite Alice's pleas. She was finally learning that the more respectful she was to their teacher, though, the more lenient he was.

"True," he said after a long moment. "Those were my instructions to you. Perhaps I did not clarify enough for the both of you. You are to do Altair's bidding, Sibylla, but you are not to leave his side unless it is to return here because a situation is too dangerous for you to be present or whatever reason he deems necessary for you to return. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Master," she replied solemnly.

Malik then turned his attention back to Altair. "And that does not mean that you can just send her away when you do not wish to have her shadowing you. Understand?"

"Yes, of course, _Malik,_" Altair growled.

"Go, both of you. I am finished with you both."

Sibylla bowed respectfully to her teacher, Altair is already out of the room by the time she rose from her bow. She took her time leaving the room, catching Alice's hand in her own as she passed her friend. She knew Alice would not follow her and would choose to stay with Malik. She didn't mind this. She simply caught Alice's hand in hers as a reassuring gesture. She moved out of the room but snuck a glance around the corner as Alice moved into Malik's embrace. Sibylla wondered over the intimacy of the two as it was Alice who had to amputate Malik's ruined arm. There was a level of trust between them that few lovers ever shared. She envied them and yet she did not at the same time. But perhaps it was the look of sheer contentment on Malik's face as he held Alice tightly that tugged at her heartstrings. She wondered if Kadar had ever worn that look when he had held her. A tear escaped from her eye as Malik claimed Alice's lips with his own.

Sibylla looked away form the two, feeling that she could no longer intrude on their moment. As she did, she found herself staring at Altair. He grabbed her roughly and slammed her against the wall, pinning her wrists above her head with one hand. His brown eyes held her blue ones with a cold indifference for her discomfort. How had she not heard him?

"I told you to wait for me," he growled, his hot breath whispering over her skin. Her hood had fallen back when he jostled her. He took a liberty with her, nuzzling his cheek against her jaw. She had no problem seizing his cheek in her teeth.

"I did," she hissed, biting him hard for good measure.

"You were not there when I returned for you."

"Then you returned too late," she growled back, "and Malik had already sent Alice for me."

He grabbed her again pushing her against the opposite wall, facing away from him. Her chin ached from the impact of bone meeting hard stone and she felt the trickle of warm blood. They both could see Malik and Alice again. Their embrace was more passionate and heated than when Sibylla had turned her gaze away. Altair faltered in his grip on her and she knew he was shocked to see such a display. Of course, Malik and Alice thought that both of them had gone off. Altair wasn't one to be easily distracted and resumed what he was doing, pinning her to the wall with his body again.

"Did you really need to bite me," his voice was husky and dark against the back of her neck. Her hair stood on end as lips brushed against the tender skin there.

"Did you need to slam me against the wall on top of lying to Malik about my whereabouts?!"

His lips caressed her neck again. The scent of blood reached her and she wasn't entirely sure if it was his blood or her own. She watched as Malik took Alice by the hand and led her towards his chambers. She knew why too. She noted, as Altair attempted to stir her own feelings of lust, the way Malik looked at Alice. The girl must have been blind if she thought he was not in love with her. Altair was pushing his luck and she was getting irritated with him quickly.

She kicked him in the shin, hard, but it was only enough to distract him for a moment. That moment was not enough to offer her a window to escape. She had managed to pull one of her knives while the hidden blade of is left arm slid out across her throat, nicking the skin there and drawing blood. Sibylla froze, her blood turning to ice, and dropped the knife with a dull clatter. Altair had never used this blade against her. She knew his policy on it too. It only came out when someone was going to die and she hoped he was bluffing. The blade remained firmly in place against her throat, his eyes locked with hers. After a long moment, his right hand replaced the blade as she heard it slide back into its hiding place.

"Next time you pull a weapon on me, you may not be so lucky." His voice was cold as it passed over his lips, the warning very clear. "Obey me and respect me. That is all I ask."

He released her and the trickle of blood his hand held back now ran freely down her neck, staining her robes. For a split second, a look flashed across Altair's face, like he might suddenly kiss her or worse. She braced herself, only to see him move away from her. She could see now that his cheek was bleeding where she had bitten him. She hadn't been entirely sure if she had broken skin when he jerked away from her but the dark stain on his face only verified it. The blood from her chin was now mingling with that which flowed from her neck.

"Get out of my sight and tend to your wounds," he hissed.

Sibylla knew better than to turn her back on him, especially when he was this angry. She inched along the wall as he glared after her for a long moment. He eventually turned and strode in the opposite direction and she huffed irritably. She felt she deserved a thank you for not flat out telling Malik the real reason she was alone today. She had defended him in her own way, though Malik was far too wise to be fooled by the deceptions of a novice. But she had tried. She locked herself in her chambers, knowing Alice would not be coming tonight. Again her sister would keep Malik's bed warm tonight. Despite how happy she was for her sister, she almost willed her to come back to the room tonight. With Altair angrily stalking the bureau, she didn't want to think of what could happen. Though her fretting had gotten her nowhere, for Altair left the bureau before the sun peaked over the horizon, without a word, note, or hint as to when he would be back.


End file.
